Premier League sides spent over £1 billion in the transfer window this summer, but one player who couldn't be tempted to try his hand in England is Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic. El Mundo Deportivo claims the midfielder rejected the advances of Manchester United and Chelsea, as well as Italian champions Juventus.

Jose Mourinho is said to have remained keen on the Croatia international, even after landing Paul Pogba in a world-record transfer deal, while Antonio Conte wanted the 28-year-old former Sevilla man to line up alongside N'Golo Kante in a new-look Chelsea midfield.

Rakitic was regularly substituted by Barca boss Luis Enrique last season -- one reported reason for the likes of United and Chelsea believing they had a chance of signing him -- but he is now in line to extend his contract at Camp Nou, which currently runs until 2019.

Source:

by MICHAEL WADE

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]